Students on vocational courses have challenged those looking down on technical educationIvy Sharples, Megan Young and Sana Mahmood(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Students at a Manchester college say people can be ‘weird’ about their technical qualifications and even deem it to be ‘not a real course’.

Ivy Sharples, Megan Young and Sana Mahmood were among the students collecting their results at the Manchester College in Openshaw today (August 14).

All proud and ‘chuffed’ with their results, the three all studied a T Level in Education and Early Years, but are all going on to different university courses: psychology with counselling, primary education, and education, society and culture respectively.

“There was an assembly at my school in year 11 about T Levels, and everything they listed off was everything I was looking for,” said Ivy. “It had all the experience built in. It really interlinks with employers.”

“After our work placements, we all got multiple job offers,” agreed Sana. “But we had to turn them down as we were all planning to go to uni.”

Despite their success, all three agreed there was a degree of prejudice towards the course they had embarked on.

T-Levels are vocational qualifications based on more practical subjects, with 80pc of teaching happening in the classroom and the remaining 20pc made up of a work placement – the equivalent of 45 days full time with an employer.

“People can be weird about it, they don’t look at it as a real course and only see A Levels as the thing that counts,” said Sana.

“It’s this perception that A Levels are harder because they study three subjects, but we’re juggling revision, exams, coursework and placements,” she continued.

“It’s this idea that, if you’re not doing A Levels, you’re not ‘on it’. It’s weird.”

Megan’s plans for celebrating over the next few days were straightforward: “Pub then town. Then work, then pub, then town.”

Fellow student Nasreen Begum said she had also initially faced some resistance from her family. “I don’t think they understood it at first,” said the 19-year-old, who scored D* D D in her Business and Entrepreneurship.

Nasreen Begum with her results. (Image: Manchester Evening News )

“All my family did A levels so I think they thought T Levels were for people who don’t do well in school,” she said.

“I started out doing A Levels – I was doing academic subjects like law – but it just wasn’t for me.

“Doing a BTEC gave me so much more time. With the days off I was able to revise and do coursework without stressing myself out, and I could get a part time job so I wasn’t worried about money.

Nasreen said she would shortly be beginning a degree apprenticeship in investment banking with AJ Bell. “I think my family see now that I’ve excelled,” she smiled.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has been a long-time advocate for technical education, was there on the day to meet staff and students.

Mayor Andy Burnham at the Manchester College Openshaw campus on results day 2025. (Image: Ryan Jenkinson | Manchester Evening News)

“Honestly, I think there is a big amount of snobbery towards technical education, both in the political and media world,” he told the M.E.N. “The message is that it’s A levels and the university route that matters.

“There will be lots of politicians today talking about A levels and maybe not recognising the young people with T levels or BTECs. If I was on of those young people I would think, am I seen, am I valued in the same way?

“But this country has been sending out that message for quite a long time,” he said, adding that he did not believe Britain had ever ‘cracked’ technical education.

“I do think more could be done,” he continued. “I think we need a school curriculum that sends out the clear message that academic and technical are equals.

“We have had a higher level of take up of T levels in Greater Manchester than in England on average – and I think it’s because we have promoted them.”

Mr Burnham added that the GMCA had ‘worked really hard’ to get ‘big name employers’ behind T levels. “There’s going to be a big increase of around seven hundred high-quality work placements available from September.

“I’ve got the sense that the message of parity is increasingly starting to land.”